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OntarioDid not become law (session ended)41st Parliament, 1st Session

Bill 71 explained in plain English

Poet Laureate of Ontario Act, 2015

Ontario legislature bill summary, status, timeline, sponsor, votes, and official sources.

At a glance

Jurisdiction
Ontario Legislature
Legislature / Parliament
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Session
41st Parliament, 1st Session
Bill number
Bill 71
Full title
Poet Laureate of Ontario Act, 2015
Current status
Did not become law (session ended)
Latest event
Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills
Last updated
Mar 12, 2015

Official Legislative Assembly of Ontario snapshot for 41st Parliament, 1st Session. Representative vote breakdowns appear when the Assembly publishes an Ayes and Nays page for the bill.

Chamber
Legislative Assembly of Ontario
Current Stage
Standing Committee on Regulations and Private Bills
Latest Activity
Mar 12, 2015
Plain-language explanation
In plain English (our explanation)

Our plain-language take, written for civic education.

Source: By PoliticalData.ca

AI-assisted, reviewed before publishing
Short Version

The Poet Laureate of Ontario Act, 2015, establishes the office of a Poet Laureate for Ontario, outlining qualifications, selection, responsibilities, and provisions for honorariums and expenses.

What It Means

This bill, titled the Poet Laureate of Ontario Act, 2015, proposes to create the position of a Poet Laureate for the province of Ontario. The Poet Laureate would be an officer of the Legislative Assembly, appointed by the Lieutenant Governor in Council on the recommendation of the Assembly. The bill outlines qualifications for the position, including residency in Ontario and a record of published poetry or a body of work that has brought honour to Ontario. It also details the responsibilities of the Poet Laureate, such as promoting art, literacy, and poetry, celebrating Ontario and its people, and acting as a spokesperson for literature. A selection committee, to be established by the Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport, would be responsible for selecting candidates. The bill also allows for the payment of an honorarium and reimbursement of expenses to the Poet Laureate. The Act would come into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.

What This Bill Does
  • Establishes the office of the Poet Laureate of Ontario as an officer of the Legislative Assembly.
  • Sets out the qualifications for the Poet Laureate, including residency and a demonstrated record in poetry.
  • Details the responsibilities of the Poet Laureate, such as promoting art, literacy, and poetry, and celebrating Ontario.
  • Establishes a selection committee to select candidates for the position.
  • Allows for the payment of an honorarium and reimbursement of expenses to the Poet Laureate.
  • Specifies that the Act comes into force upon receiving Royal Assent.
Who Is Affected
  • Potential candidates for the Poet Laureate of Ontario
  • The Legislative Assembly of Ontario
  • The Lieutenant Governor in Council
  • The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport
  • The Province of Ontario Council for the Arts
  • The public in Ontario
Rights, Duties, Or Obligations
  • The Poet Laureate has responsibilities to promote art and literacy, celebrate Ontario and its people, and raise the profile of Ontario poets.
  • The Poet Laureate may be asked to write poetry for use in the Legislature.
  • The Poet Laureate may be asked to advise the Legislative Library.
  • The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport may pay an honorarium and reimburse expenses for the Poet Laureate.
Important Dates
  • The Act comes into force on the day it receives Royal Assent.
Financial Or Tax Impacts
  • The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport may pay an honorarium to the Poet Laureate.
  • The Minister of Tourism, Culture and Sport may reimburse expenses related to travel within Ontario and other expenses for the Poet Laureate.
Enforcement Or Penalties
  • The Lieutenant Governor in Council may remove the Poet Laureate for cause on the address of the Assembly.
Uncertainties Or Limits
  • The bill does not specify the exact amount of the honorarium or the specific types of expenses that may be reimbursed.
  • The bill does not detail the specific criteria or process for the selection committee beyond its composition and the general qualifications for the Poet Laureate.
  • The bill does not define what constitutes 'cause' for removal of the Poet Laureate.
Laws Or Regulations Affected
Poet Laureate of Ontario Act, 2015
creation

This bill, if passed, would create a new law to establish the office of the Poet Laureate of Ontario.

Source: Section 1

Arts Council Act
reference

The bill references the Arts Council Act in relation to the establishment of the selection committee.

Source: Section 2(1)1

Generated using AI from official bill text. Not legal advice. It is written by PoliticalData.ca for civic education, automatically checked and spot-reviewed before publishing.

Official text

Process Snapshot

Step 1
First reading
Mar 4, 2015
Step 2
Second reading
Mar 12, 2015
Step 3
Committee review
Mar 12, 2015
Step 4
Third reading
Not reached yet
Step 5
Royal assent
Not reached yet

Vote Summary

No published recorded division

This bill is still active. We only show vote counts after the legislature publishes a recorded division.

Sponsor
Percy Hatfield
Sponsor party or district not listed
Jurisdiction
Ontario Legislature

No published representative vote breakdown

This bill is still moving through the process. When a recorded division is published, representative positions can be listed here.

Official sources

Status, sponsor, votes, and timeline on this page are drawn from these official legislative sources and public records. Each summary above is attributed to its own source.

How this data is sourced